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Green Spot Irish Whiskey

Rounding off our Irish Whiskey series is Green Spot Irish Whiskey from Mitchell & Sons. It’s a single pot still whiskey, meaning it’s made from a mashbill of malted and unmalted barley that’s triple distilled in a copper pot still from single distillery. It’s matured in first and refill bourbon casks, and sherry casks.

Mitchell & Sons has been buying barrels of whiskey from the Jameson distillery since the late 1880s. Today, it still comes from the Midleton distillery where Jameson and other whiskies are being distilled.

The name Green Spot comes from the practice of the family to add a splotch of paint on the head of a barrel to differentiate the age of the whiskey inside. In this case, green means a 7- to 10-year-old whiskey. A 12-year-old expression, named Yellow Spot, is also available in the US market.

Green Spot is bottled at the standard 40%abv and available for about $50 for a 750ml bottle.

The nose is fresh and crisp, with honey, freshly mowed grass, and green apples. Taste-wise, the entry is rich in flavor and carries a viscous mouthfeel. Spiced apples, honey, lemongrass, some baking spice and a touch of malt fill out the palate. There’s a little oak in the background that adds to the structure of flavors. The finish is sweet toasted grain and doesn’t hang around too long.

Compared to the other “standard” Irish whiskies I’ve tasted recently, this one stands out as the richest tasting. It’s more readily available now then when I bought my bottle a year and a half ago on my honeymoon, so you shouldn’t have any trouble finding one. This one earns a solid recommendation from me.